Tetons

The mountains have received 4 to 8 inches of new snow since early yesterday morning. At the higher elevations south to west winds have formed small pockets of wind slab up to 12 inches deep along the leeward aspects. These shallow slabs and loose snow sloughs could be triggered by skiers and riders who venture into steep wind loaded avalanche starting zones, steep couloirs and cliff areas. Avalanches are unlikely at the lower elevations.

Skies will continue to be partly cloudy with a chance of snow showers. Temperatures will be in the teens and 20s in the mountains. Winds are forecast to be from the west at 5 to 15 miles per hour.In the Teton Range the general avalanche hazard is expected to be LOW. Small avalanches are possible in extreme terrain. In terrain like very steep couloirs, cliff areas and hanging snowfields these small slides can be dangerous. Pockets of soft wind slab 4 to 12 inches deep and loose snow sloughs could be human triggered or release naturally. A careful evaluation of the terrain consequences of triggering a small slide is warranted.Lesser amounts of new snow fell in the Togwotee Pass and Greys River forecast areas yesterday. In these areas the general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE. At the higher elevations small slides with similar attributes can also be triggered in extreme terrain. Some potential may also remain for large dangerous deep slab avalanches to be triggered by snowmobiles that climb steep, avalanche prone slopes. Although the likelihood of triggering one of these dangerous deep slab avalanches remains low, the consequences remain severe.